3 Methods to Spark Curiosity in Your UGC Hooks

Do your meta ads only have hook rates of 19% or less? Do your ads feel boring, even though you were the one who created them? Are your ads starting to feel like a bottomless money pit instead of a money-making tool? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to re-evaluate your video hooks.  

The hook is the first three seconds of a video ad and is considered the most important part of your video. It’s responsible for siphoning attention to the rest of your ad, so as a marketer, the worst thing you could have is a boring hook! 

The good news is that there are a million and one ways to craft a good hook, but one of the most compelling ways to increase that hook rate is through curiosity. Curiosity is the desire for knowledge for its own sake, even without any obvious benefit (Loewenstein, 1994). If it’s powerful enough to kill a cat, it’s good enough to capture some eyeballs. 

We dove into the scientific literature and compiled three methods to supercharge your hook with this powerful emotion.

1. Pose Important Questions

Questions are a great way to spark curiosity because they highlight gaps in your viewer’s knowledge. Naturally, people want to close their knowledge gap (Loewenstein, 1994). The question is, what’s a good question to ask? People usually enjoy learning about themselves and how they are perceived by others. Alternatively, you can use questions commonly asked by your existing customers, and this may be sourced by reading through customers’ comments under your Meta ads. Video ads can maximize impact by enhancing engagement and conversion rates.

If you have yet to run ads or do not have any comments under your ads, you may use websites like Answer the Public or Answer Socrates for questions related to your industry. However, it’s best to use human-generated questions, so reading through subreddits relevant to your field, or even reading through the ad comments of your competitors with Meta Ad Library would be helpful. After reviewing these different sources, you should have a good understanding of the most common questions people ask about your product or service.

Posing the Right Question:

eCommerce Example

Product: MedSpa product

“What should you do if your acne medication isn’t working?”

Service-based Business Example

Business Type: Personal Stylist

“What does your taste in clothes say about you?”

2. Increasing Salience

Next, we can add more fuel to the fire by increasing the salience of the knowledge gap. An example of this could be done by increasing progress towards their goal (Golman & Loewenstein, 2013). For example, an ad can show a particular journey (i.e., weight loss) or quiz them on a topic, but withhold the final result or solution until later in the video. With this method, the knowledge gap’s salience is emphasized because the viewer has invested their attention into the ad and is awaiting answers to what they don’t know (i.e., the knowledge gap). A compelling message in ad creatives is crucial for maintaining viewer interest.

Increasing Salience of the Knowledge Gap:

eCommerce Example

Product: The Posture Corrector

“Experiencing back pain? Answer these three questions to discover if it can be fixed with cheap, at-home remedies instead of going to an expensive physiotherapist.”

Service-based Business Example

Busines Type: Weight Loss Coach

“Mimi started treatment at 230 pounds with psoriatic arthritis, but after changing her diet and incorporating exercise, she’s finally seeing the results she wanted.”

3. “Epiphany”

The final method is “epiphany,” which is a method that motivates people to fill multiple information gaps at once, like a “eureka” moment (Golman & Loewenstein, 2013). To trigger an epiphany in your viewer, provide the answer to multiple important questions they may have but hold back the solution until later in the ad. Knowing the answer to one question should shed light on another question they may have. Using the right hook can significantly enhance an ad’s effectiveness by capturing attention.

However, it is tricky to generate relevant questions, but again, the answer lies in having a good understanding of your target audience and their struggles and then positioning your product or service at the crux of it. Similar to the process of creating a knowledge gap, you must research your target audience to create an effective epiphany.

An example of this trigger was used at the beginning of this article. Did it trigger your curiosity like it was designed? Would you change anything to make it more effective?

Triggering an Epiphany in Viewers:

eCommerce Example

Product: A shower filter which reduces bacterial and hard water.

“Ever wonder why your face looks worse after taking a shower? Does your hair feel stringy and brittle after washing it? Skin feeling dry and itchy too? You might want to replace this item in your bathroom.”

Service-based Business Example

Business Type: Social media marketing service

“Do your Instagram reels only get 200 views? Having a hard time figuring out what to post? Spending a lot of time on your social media, but don’t see the results you want? It’s time to stop going around in circles and call in an expert.”

Mastering the Art of UGC Ad Hooks

To create a compelling hook, three standout methods include posing important questions, increasing salience, and triggering an epiphany. These strategies are essential as they effectively capture the target audience’s attention, boost engagement rates, and ultimately drive higher conversion rates in your ad creatives. By mastering these techniques, you can transform your ads into powerful tools that not only capture attention but also convert potential customers into loyal supporters.

Create Amazing Ads with Consultus Digital 

Now that you’re armed with three methods to boost the curiosity of your hooks, nothing is stopping you from achieving a 30%+ retention rate! 

But, if you need more guidance on how to structure your Meta ads, partner with a digital marketing agency like Consultus Digital. 

Our creative strategy services can take your ads to the next level by drawing on psychological research, data analysis, and a pool of professional content creators. 

Contact us to learn more.